World Water Day 2006 cultural activities [Archives:2006/932/Local News]

Amel Al-Ariqi
SANA'A, March 25 ) The National Water Resource Authority (NWRA) joined numerous worldwide water institutions this week in celebrating the annual March 23 World Water Day.

Each year a different theme is chosen to reflect the many facets of freshwater resources. This year's Water Day celebration was guided by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) under the theme, “Water and Culture.”

Therefore, NWRA, in cooperation with the UN Development Program (UNDP), the World Bank, German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and Centrum fuer International Migration and Entwicklung (CIM), organized different cultural activities under the Water and Culture theme.

The shared aim was to address Yemen's serious shortage of water resources. “The WWD 2006 Water and Culture theme is an ideal platform for gathering people of all ages and different interests by encouraging every single person to agree on the following: there is one precious element that belongs to everybody and at the same time needs protecting by all of us – water,” CIM expert, engineer Marion Jerichow said.

Deputy Minister of Water and Environment Mohammed Al-Hamdi pointed out the importance of participating students and schools to share in such an event, saying such participation provides a chance to raise awareness of water scarcity, from which Yemen suffers greatly.

In this regard, cultural and sports activities were held Thursday, March 23 at Ma'in school in Sana'a, through UNDP financial assistance, with the participation of 12 Sana'a Governorate schools.

Al-Hamdi opened the activities, which included a drawing competition, a children's puppet show, plays and sketches performed onstage for interested audiences, as well as an internationally awarded water documentary aired at Boustan Al-Amry in the Old City of Sana'a. The series told the dramatic story of how the struggle for fresh water has shaped human society, from civilization's birth in the great valleys of Asia and the Middle East to the development of mega-cities in the 20th century.
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